a history of being in the wrong place at the wrong time
or
how i learned to stop worrying and held my breath...
these are just the recorded natural disaster events since the fall of rome (environment, disease etc.). war, genocide, ethnic cleansing and industrial accidents aren't included. the numbers represent an estimate of people killed.
since 500 a.d.
* Costantinopole, 542: Bubonic plague (over 1 million)
* France, 588: Bubonic plague (est 25 million)
* Japan, 1181: famine (100,000)
* Holland, 1228: sea flood (100,000)
* Europe and Asia, 1346-52: Bubonic plague (est 25 million)
* Shensi, Italy, 1556: earthquake (800,000)
* Napoli, Italy, 1631: Mt Vesuvius erupts (3,000)
* Havana, 1648: Yellow fever epidemic
* Sevilla, Spain, 1649: Plague (80,000)
* Turkey, 1668: earthquake (8,000)
* Calcutta, India, 1737: typhoon (300,000)
* Lisbon, 1755: earthquake and tsunami (30,000)
* Bengal (India), 1769: famine (10 million)
* Northamerica, 1775-82: Smallpox (130,000)
* Iran, 1780: earthquake (200,000)
* Philadelphia, 1793: Yellow fever epidemic (5,000)
* Tambora, Indonesia, 1815 : volcano | famine (80,000)
* Cairo, 1831: Cholera epidemic, (spread to London)
* London and Paris, 1832: Cholera epidemic (25,000)
* Ireland, 1845: famine (1,000,000)
* Mapoli, Italy, 1857: earthquake (11,000)
* France, 1870-71: Smallpox (500,000)
* Indonesia, 1883: Tsunami (36,000)
* Mino-owari, Japan, 1891: earthquake (7,000)
* Japan, 1896: Tsunami (27,000)
* India, 1897: earthquake (1,500)
disasters during the 20th century...
* Galveston, Texas, 1900: Hurricane (8000)
* San Francisco, 1906: earthquake and fire (3,000)
* Colombia, 1906: earthquake (1,000)
* Chile, 1906: earthquake (20,000)
* Messina, Italy, 1908: 7.5 earthquake (70,000)
* Mexico City, 1911: earthquake
* Worldwide, 1918: Influenza pandemic (25 million)
* Gansu, China, 1920: 8.6 earthquake (200,000)
* Yokohama, Japan, 1923: 8.3 earthquake (143,000)
* Nanshan, China, 1927: 8.3 earthquake (200,000)
* Florida, USA, 1928: Hurricane (1800)
* Gansu, China, 1932: 7.6 earthquake (70,000)
* Sanriku, Japan, 1933: 8.4 earthquake (3,000)
* Bihar, India, 1934: 8.1 earthquake (10,700)
* Quetta, Pakistan, 1935: 7.5 earthquake (30,000)
* New York, USA, 1938: Rains (600)
* Erzincan, Turkey, 1939: 7.8 earthquake (33,000 )
* Tonankai, Japan, 1944: 8.1 earthquake (1,200)
* Nankaido, Japan, 1946: earthquake (1,330)
* Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 1948: earthquake (100,000)
* Assam, India, 1950: earthquake (1,526)
* Holland, 1953: Sea flood (1,794)
* Iran, 1953: Rain flood (10,000)
* Louisiana, USA, 1957: Hurricane (400)
* Worldwide, 1957: Influenza pandemic (over 1 million)
* China, 1960: Famine (20 million dead)
* Morocco, 1960: earthquake (10,000
* Chile, 1960: earthquake (5,700)
* Mt Huascaran, Peru, 1962: Volcano eruption (3,000)
* North Peru, 1970: 7.8 earthquake (66,000)
* Bangladesh, 1970: Sea flood (200,000)
* Vietnam, 1971: Red River flood (100,000)
* Nicaragua, 1972: earthquake flood (10,000)
* Bangladesh, 1974: floods (28,000)
* Ethiopia, 1974: famine (200,000)
* Haicheng, China, 1975: 7.0 earthquake (10,000)
* Tangshan, China, 1976: 8.0 earthquake (255,000)
* Guatemala, 1976: earthquake (23,000)
* Andhra Pradesh, India, 1977: cyclone (10,000)
* Mexico, 1982: volcanic eruption (1,800)
* Yemen, 1982: earthquake (3,000)
* Ethiopia, 1984: Famine (900,000)
* Ciudad de Mexico, 1985: 8.1 earthquake (nearly 25,000)
* Armenia, 1988: earthquake (55,000)
* Bangladesh, 1988: Monsoon flood (1,300)
* Gilan and Zanjan, Iran, 1990: 7.7 earthquake (35,000)
* Bangladesh, 1991: tsunami (138,000)
* Latur, India, 1993: earthquake (22,000)
* Kobe, Japan, 1995: earthquake (5,500)
* North Korea, 1995-98: Famine and floods (3.5 million)
* West Africa, 1996: meningitis outbreak (25,000)
* Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 1996: earthquake (10,000)
* Papua New Guinea, 1998: Tsunami (2,200)
* Yangtze Kiang, China, 1998: flooding (3,600)
* Central America, 1998: Hurricane Mitch and floods (12,000)
* Colombia, 1999: earthquake (1,185)
* Turkey, 1999: earthquake (17,000)
* Taiwan, 1999: 7.6 earthquake (2,400)
* Orissa, India, 1999: Cyclone (7,600)
* Venezuela, 1999: Floods (20,000)
disasters during the 21st century...
* Gujarat, India, 2001: earthquake (20,000)
* El Salvador, 2001: earthquake (850)
* Afghanistan, 2002: earthquake (2,500)
* Algeria, 2003: earthquake (2,266)
* Andhra Pradesh, India, 2003: Heat wave (1,300)
* France, 2003: Heat wave (15,000)
* Bam, Iran, 2003: earthquake (41,000)
* Al-Hoceima, Morocco, 2004: earthquake (571)
* Haiti / Dominican Republic, 2004: rains (2,400)
* Philippines, 2004: typhoon (1,000)
* Southeast Asia, 2004: 9.0 tsunami (225,000)